Monday, February 23, 2015

A half-finished Marriott hotel at Statesville and W.T. Harris roads near
Northlake Mall is likely to sit that way for months to come, as the owner and
contractor fight over payments and workmanship in court.

Since taking on the development beat, I’ve fielded a half-dozen inquiries
about this property. The hotel was supposed to be a 118-room Courtyard by
Marriott, and had been slated to open more than a year ago. So I called the owners to see if anything has changed.

Instead, the building has sat unfinished at the prominent intersection right
off Interstate 77. The owner, Raleigh-based MJM Group, and the general
contractor are stuck in court. The contractor has sued MJM for payment, but MJM
has refused to pay because it says the work that was done has severe defects and
the building would be too costly to repair.

Meanwhile, many of the subcontractors have filed liens and lawsuits as well,
leading to a flurry of cases in Mecklenburg court, but no hotel.

Matthew Lee, an attorney representing MJM Group, said the owner and
contractor are set to hold an arbitration hearing in late spring.

It does look just horrendous. The dry wall has been sitting out in the open for over 2 years now, there is no way that the interior is just mush at this point. When does the city/county get involved due to the fact that it is now just a dangerous building.

Ely, have you talked with anyone from the county/city permit office about this structure? I am not sure who has jurisdiction: county or city.

I'm one of those people who sent you a question about it because it's serious eye sore (as others have stated). The empty lot with weeds looked better than what it does now. I noticed recently that someone has taken out the AC units and they attempted to take some other items as you can see the gate has been tampered with.It's very sad because that's a major a gateway for visitors in our city and people just passing thru--so to see that is an embarrasement. The contractor and owners should be ashamed of themselves--but money rules all. I agree...implode!

I know they aren't the tenants or involved in the law suits, but they have money. And companies tend to take some action when they are called out on social media. Especially when it effects their brand. Their logo is still on the sign out front.

I work right next door to this mess. Have the pleasure to view it everyday. I say we take a picture of the "Courtyard by Marriott Opening Soon" sign on WT Harris with this atrocity in the background and send it to Marriott's PR department. Surely they would be embarrassed as well to have their brand name associated with this hideous skeleton of a hotel. We might even get lucky and they take some action...other than removing the sign.

Maybe the owner MJM should have paid their bills back 2-3 yrs ago....This would have never happened!!! Rumors are that local sub contractors and General Contractor were not paid for months but owner wanted the project to keep going and he was paid by the bank.

Ely Portillo

Ely Portillo

About this blog

Ely Portillo covers economic development for the Observer, writing about who's building what in a city that seems to be sprouting new apartment and office towers on every corner. He also writes about Charlotte's airport, a major hub that's also undergoing a huge growth spurt. A transplant from Maryland, he's been reporting on his adopted hometown for more than five years. If you have a tip or story idea to share, you can contact him by email or give him a call at 704-358-5041. For the latest news, follow him on Twitter @ESPortillo.